Container stack with common carrying handle



CONTAINER STACK WITH COMMON CARRYING HANDLE Filed April 11, 1967 July16, 1968 D. M. PEEBLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR DAVID MEADE PEEBLES 3 VWWW. L

ATTORNEY Jilly 1968 D. M. PEEBLES 3,392,374

CONTAINER STACK WITH COMMON CARRYING HANDLE Filed April 11. 1967 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR DAVID MEADE PEEBLES ATTORNEY United StatesPatent 3,392,874 CONTAINER STACK WITH COMMON CARRYING HANDLE David MeadePeebles, 325 Marcy Ave., Oxon Hill, Md. 20021 Filed Apr. 11, 1967, Ser.No. 630,086 6 Claims. (Cl. 22097) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stack ofseparately formed containers each provided with a carrying handle andthe handle so constructed that they collectively constitute a singlecarrying handle for the stack.

Background of the invention The need for the invention arises wheremiscellaneous small articles must be carried from place to place in anorderly manner and maintained separated. Maintenance personnel inapartments, hotels, hospitals and the like, must carry small parts andvarious tools on their daily rounds. In the prior art various wheeledcarts and elaborate tool boxes with hinged and removable shelves havebeen provided. However, these are usually expensive devices and heavy tocarry and sometimes quite awkward. It is the purpose of the presentinvention to provide a simplified and inexpensive structure to satisfythe above need.

Summary The invention is embodied in a plurality of nestable orstackable open-topped, tray-like containers which may be compartmentedindividually. Each container has a carrying handle projecting upwardlyfrom its bottom and the handles of the several containers in the stackare successively shorter toward the top of the stack and project throughopenings in the overlying containers so that at the top of the stack asingle carrying handle is formed for transporting the entire stack. Theutility of the individual containers is not lost and they are readilyseparable for individual use or in sub-groups.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showinga stack of containers with common carrying handle embodying theinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 22 of FIGURE1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a single container and its carrying handle;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view partly in section showing amodification.

Description of the preferred embodiments Referring to the drawings,wherein like numerals designate like parts, attention being directedfirst to FIGURES 1 through 4, the numeral designates preferablyidentical open top rectangular tray-like receptacles, such as moldedplastic receptacles or receptacles formed of pressed fiber, sheet metalor the like. As shown in the drawings, the individual receptacles 10 arenestable or stackable and to facilitate this they preferably have aslight degree of taper toward their lower ends. To increase the rigidityof the receptacles they are preferably provided with upper marginalbeads or flanges 11. To limit the entry of the bottom portion of eachreceptacle 10 into the next underlying receptacle, stop lugs 12 arepreferably formed within the corners of the individual receptaclessomewhat below the tops thereof. If preferred,

3,392,874 Patented July 16, 1968 similar stop lugs may be formedexternally on the sidewalls of the receptacles as suggested in dottedlines at 12' in FIGURE 2.

Each receptacle 10 has a center longitudinal divider wall 13 integraltherewith and being hollow and substantially inverted U-shaped incross-section as shown. This divides each tray-like receptacle into twomain carrying compartments 14 for various items. The top wall portion ofeach divider wall 13 has a relatively large central opening 15 formedtherethrough to receive the handle of the receptacle to be described aswell as the handles of all other receptacles in the stack.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 3 and 4, each receptacle 10 has anupstanding carrying handle 16 which may be formed of plastic, wood orany other preferred material. Preferably, although not necessarily, eachhandle 16 is formed separately from its associated receptacle 10 and isreadily detachable therefrom. However, if preferred, the handle 16 maybe formed integrally with the receptacle or otherwise permanentlysecured thereto.

As shown in the drawings, each handle has an upright portion 17,provided near its top with a hand-grip opening 18. The upright portion17 of each handle is received upwardly through the opening 15 of dividerwall 13. Each handle further comprises a pair of laterally extendingarms or portions 19 which are received through the open bottom of thehollow divider wall 13 and engage the top wall portion thereof, asshown. The lengths of the arms 19 are such that they extend forsubstantially the entire length of the receptacle 10 and engage theopposite end walls thereof. Preferably, the ends of the arms 19 havefrictional contact with the end walls 20 of the receptacle 10 tostabilize the assembly of the handle with the receptacle, although thisfeature is not essential. Each handle 16 is preferably quite thin asshown in the drawings so that a number of the handles may be arranged inside-by-side cont-acting relation to form a single stack carryinghandle.

As shown most clearly in FIGURE 2, the carrying handle 16 of eachreceptacle 10 differs in length from the handle of every otherreceptacle in the stack. The lowermost receptacle 10 in the stack isequipped with the longest handle 16a whereas the uppermost receptacle inthe stack is equipped with the shortest carrying handle 16c. The handlesof the intermediate receptacles in the stack are graduated in length asshown at 16b, 16c and 16d. The basic construction of each handle 16athrough 162 is the same as that depicted in FIGURE 4 and each handle hasa pair of the arms 19 for engagement within the hollow divider wall 13of its associated receptacle, to facilitate lifting the same. As shownin FIGURE 2, the carrying handle of each receptacle is sufficiently longto project upwardly through the clearance openings 15 of all of thereceptacles above it in the stack. That is to say, the handle 16a of thelowermost receptacle in the stack extends through all of the openings 15of the receptacles above it in the stack. The handle 16b likewiseextends through all of the openings 15 in the receptacles above it, andso on. In this connection, it should be clear that any practical numberof receptacles may be utilized in the stack, limited only by the abilityof the openings or slots 15 to receive a plurality of the handles inside-by-side relationship. The arrangement is such that When the severalreceptacles are nested or stacked as shown, the hand-grip openings 18 ofthe several handles will register within the top receptacle 10 so as toform a common or single carrying handle for the entire stack which isconvenient to grasp. By this means the stack of receptacles and theircontents may be carried like any piece of luggage from place to place.The bottom wall of each receptacle in the stack forms a secure closurefor the compartments 14 of the next underlying receptacle. All of thereceptacles in the stack are readily separable with their individualhandles at any desired time.

As suggested at 21 in broken lines in FIGURE 4, the upright portions 17of the carrying handles may be equipped with two or more of thehand-grip openings 18 in vertically spaced relation. With proper spacingof the openings this arrangement will allow the use of a smaller groupor stack of receptacles than the complete stack shown in FIGURE 2. Forexample, a stack consisting of the first, third, and fifth receptaclesonly might be employed, counting from bottom to top. This is an optionalfeature contemplated within the scope of the invention, which may beomitted entirely if preferred.

FIGURE shows a modification of the invent-ion wherein each carryinghandle 22 consists essentially of a section of resilient wire or thelike having an inverted U-shaped hand-grip portion 23 and bottom lateralextensions 24 which are engageable within inverted U-shaped sockets 25formed in the bottom wall 26 of the tray-like receptacle 27. The bottomwall 26 also has a central longitudinal slot 28 formed therethrough toreceive the upstanding handle 22 or handles of underlying receptacles ina stack. The modified receptacle 29 shown in FIGURE 5 is equipped withthe previously described stacking lugs 12 as indicated.

As shown in broken lines in FIGURE 5, the resilient handle 22 may haveits arms flexed to assemble and disassemble the handles with respect tothe sockets 25. The mode of operation in connection with a completestack of receptacles is essentially the same as that described in theprevious embodiment, that is to say, the handle of each underlyingreceptacle in the stack is sufficiently long in the vertical directionto extend upwardly through the openings or slots 28 of all overlyingreceptacles in the stack so as to provide a common lifting handlestructure at the top of the stack generally as depicted in FIGURES 1 and2.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention, herewith shownand described, are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A hand-carried receptacle structure comprising a plurality ofseparately formed open top tray-like receptacles adapted to be nested instacked relation, each receptacle in the stack having opening means inits bottom wall and the opening means of all receptacles in the stackbeing vertically aligned, and a carrying handle secured to eachreceptacle, the handles of the several receptacles differing in lengthwith the handle of the lowermost receptacle in the stack being thelongest and the handle of the uppermost receptacle being the shortest,whereby the handles of all receptacles in the stack may project upwardlythrough the opening means of all overlying receptacles in the stack soas to form a common carrying handle for the stack adjacent the uppermostreceptacle.

2. A hand-carried receptacle structure according to claim 1, whereinsaid opening means of each receptacle is a hollow divider wall for thereceptacle having a central opening formed through the top wall portionthereof.

3. A hand-carried receptacle structure according to claim 2, and whereineach carrying handle comprises an upstanding portion having a hand-gripopening adapted to project through said central opening and a pair oflateral arms on the lower end of the handle engageable under said hollowdivider wall.

4. A hand-carried stack of receptacles comprising in combination, aplurality of stacked open top tray-like receptacles with each receptacleof the stack forming a closure for the top of the next underlyingreceptacle of the stack, and an upstanding carrying handle for eachreceptacle projecting upwardly through all overlying receptacles in thestack, said receptacles all having clearance openings formedtherethrough for said handles and said handles decreasing in length fromthe lowermost receptacle of the stack toward the uppermost receptacle,the tops of all of the handles terminating substantially at the top ofthe stack and forming a common handle structure substantially at the topof the stack.

5. A hand-carried stack of receptacles in accordance with claim 4, andwherein each carrying handle is a flat relatively thin plate-like memberformed separately from the receptacle and being detachable therefrom,each handle having at least one hand-grip opening near its upper end.

6. A hand-carried stack of receptacles in accordance with claim 4, andwherein each carrying handle is a re silient substantially invertedU-shaped member including a carrying loop and lateral terminal endportions having releasable socketed engagement with the associatedreceptacle of the stack.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,821,327 1/1958 Glazer 220-1023,115,266 12/1963 Poupitch 220-l02 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,059,418 2/1967Great Britain.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. E. LOWRANCE, Assistant Examiner.

